Happy Birthday To Me
by trankwility
Summary: Kisses, argues and presents? What a great party this'll be! CloudxAerith, of course! Enjoy! R&R please :
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer : **I don't own any of the characters, but you gotta give me some props for the plot :)

**Author's Notes :** Hi! Well, here's my third fic here:) I'm happy with this one; I had a lot of fun writing it!  
Originally, it was supposed to be one chapter, but I guess I wrote too much so nowI have to break 'em into parts :P  
I already finished writing it, so no need to wait for the upcoming chapters !  
Enjoy everyone!

Oops, forgot. I know it doesn't seem like a cloudxaerith fic at first, but keep reading and you'll find yourselves in the midst of a major cloudxaerith story.  
Just so you know, I have discovered that I have horrbile grammar, so I apologize in advance if you read something wierd, I'm also a bad speller, so again sorry :P I did my best in proofreading the story and editting it and stuff, so hopefully there won't be a lot of mistakes!

Okay, now you can enjoy :)

* * *

**  
Happy Birthday To Me  
**

_final fantasy vii : cloudxaerith_

_-------------------------------------------------------------------- _

Today was February 22nd, a special day for those who were trying to save the Planet from utter chaos and destruction. It was special because someone had been born on that day, and you all know what that means; it's someone's birthday!

But… who's birthday is it? Well, let's see;

Tifa was running all over the place, shouting commands at everyone to get ready.

Yuffie was right there, helping Tifa, well… More like shouting along with her and jumping around pushing the men around, saying that they were all lazy.

Barret was carrying a few party objects into the room and Cid was helping him…self with a smoke.

Yuffie saw what Cid was doing and jumped right in front of him, glaring. "Hey, old geezer! You wanna turn uglier than you already are?!" She grabbed the death stick from his mouth and threw it on the ground, stepping on it to light it out. "I didn't think so… Now get back to work!" Cid glared daggers at the ninja's back and cursed a few times before going over to Barret and helping him out.

"That damn girl, she thinks she's just so… #!& #$!#( " Cid began to flail his arms all over the place, starting to get pissed off at Yuffie. "Goddammit! ($)!#$" Barret stared at Cid, registering those "colourful" words that Cid had spilt. _That was a good one. I should remember to use it one day…_ Barret laughed at Cid and his crazy antics, which only caused Cid to get even more pissed and swear even more.

"C'mon, ya spazz… Stop yer swearin' and come help me out! "He waved his human hand, signaling Cid to come over and help him as he was about to carry a table in for Tifa.

--

Vincent wasn't doing anything; he was just leaning on some wall, watching as the party ran about the room. He let out an exasperated sigh when he saw Yuffie, who was coming right at him. "Hey Vincent! Get your lazy ass off that wall and go help Red with the decorations!" Yuffie jabbed her finger in his chest, and all he did was look at the finger which was still on his chest. He then stared blankly at the ninja who countered with her own fierce one. Blinking a few times, he asked with an uninterested voice,

"You want me to help with decorations…?" He cringed and closed his eyes when Yuffie spoke back, rather quickly and loudly to say the least.

"YEAH! That's right! Or are you too stupid to even do that?" "I'm not stupid." He replied back in a meek tone. The pupils of the young ninja dilated and a small sneer formed on her lips. "Yeah, sure… Just go help Red with the decorations." Vincent pushed himself off the wall and walked, stopping beside Yuffie. "I thought I was too stupid to do the decorations…" Yuffie let out a rather interesting sound from her mouth, indicating that she was annoyed, and turned around to glare at him before turning on her heels and leaving the other way.

When she was gone, something strange happened to Vincent. His lips… Just at the corners of his lips; they were slightly curved up. _The_ Vincent Valentine, the man who never smiled in his life, had pulled the infamous half-smile that Cloud possessed. He was glad Yuffie hadn't seen it, otherwise… She'd never let him live down with it. Just then, he saw Red walking by with streamers tied to his legs and a bunch of balloons in his mouth. He almost laughed at the sight but instead walked silently to the red dog-like creature and grabbed a few balloons from his mouth.

"I'm supposed to help you…" Red looked at him, unable to speak with the balloons in his mouth and just nodded; leading the way to the room they were supposed to decorate.

Cait Sith had been hiding from Yuffie and Tifa, and was up in his room. The puppet seemed to be doing a little dance when a paper popped out of its mouth, the cat grabbed it and slipped it in an envelope and grabbed another object, beginning to write with it.

Cloud and Aerith were together, walking hand-in-hand around Kalm. It was Cloud's job to keep Aerith from the Inn until 5' o'clock.

So whose birthday is it? It's Aerith's, of course!

Everyone was doing something except her, so it has to be hers… Right?

Right.

_--_

_Why am I the one here distracting Aerith? I mean, I don't mind, I get to spend time with her but… How come I was chosen? _Cloud sought over the thought, and didn't notice that Aerith was looking at him.

"Cloud…? Are you okay? You're thinking a lot over there." He snapped out his thoughts and looked at Aerith, nodding. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm with you aren't I?" He blushed; he was never comfortable in expressing something so similar to love to someone. Aerith giggled, hearing him say that made her happy, and the way he blushed always made her giggle. "Thanks, I'm glad we could spend this time together… alone." He squeezed her hand gently, and intertwined their fingers. Feeling his fingers between hers, she looked up at him and smiled, gently swinging their hands back and forth. Cloud liked how that felt and joined her, swinging their hands together.

As they walked around Kalm town, enjoying each other's company they saw two kids; a boy and girl. They looked about 6 years old and as the two passed by the kids, the girl pointed to them and looked at the boy. "Hey! Let's hold our hands together like that couple over there!" Both Aerith and Cloud stopped, and blushed as they both heard what the little girl had said. They weren't used to being called a "couple" so it slightly embarrassed them. The little girl took the boy's hand in hers and began swinging it, like what they were doing. The boys face seemed like it was painted over with red because that's what it had looked like.

Aerith laughed, looking up at Cloud, their blushes had subsided by now. "Sorta reminds me of someone…" She burst into a fit of giggles when Cloud's blush returned, redder than ever. "S-stop it!" That only made her laugh harder which, of course, made him blush more. He glared at her and looked away, only to hear Aerith's laughter die down and her voice speaking, quivering under the little laughter that was still there.

"Ok… I'm sorry, but you can be really funny when you try not to." She laughed again, but forced herself to stop when he didn't look back at her. Clearing her throat, she apologized again but he still didn't look back. Sighing, she looked to the ground before looking back up at him. "Don't make me do this…" Cloud furrowed his brows together, wondering what she meant. He turned his head around to look at her, "Do wha-"

Before he could ask, a pair of lips caught his. His mako-infused eyes widened, seeing Aerith's eyes wide-open as well. They both detached from each other quickly, parting from their accidental kiss and dropped their heads to the ground, blushing furiously.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to kiss you on the lips; it was meant for your cheek!" Aerith kept on apologizing and her face grew even redder, she looked up at Cloud who had been staring at her, smiling. If they weren't in the public where everyone could see, he would've easily planted his lips on her own to stop her from rambling on, but sadly they were, and it was Cloud after all… He didn't like to express love in public.

So, he let her ramble on and as she tried to explain, he noticed her face getting redder. It was his turn to laugh now; he opened his mouth and let a string of laughter flow out into the peaceful atmosphere of Kalm.

Aerith stopped, blinking and not believing her ears. _Cloud is… laughing?_ She looked up at him, a quizzed expression growing on her face. "What are you laughing at?" He continued to laugh, and looked at Aerith, stopping. "You." This time he chuckled when he saw her mock anger reaction, and continued to walk again, dragging Aerith along.

The two walked down the cobblestone sidewalk, a smile curved on both of their lips. Aerith broke their calm silence with a statement. "I can't believe you were laughing, Cloud. I'm so proud of you!" She brought her hand up to her mouth to stifle a giggle. His smile disappeared and Cloud had put on that cold, hard look on his face again. "Shut up…" Aerith looked at him, afflicted by his rude comment. She watched for signs of mockery on his face, but saw nothing. She lowered her head in slight pain, only to bring it back up to see Cloud's half-smile. "I was only kidding…"

She squeezed his hand and a smile graced her face, finally noticing that they were outside of Kalm and in a more isolated place, with trees surrounding them, she looked up at Cloud. Emerald met with sapphire, as the other shrugged giving an effortless excuse. "I thought we could use some privacy..."

She nodded and sat down, releasing their grip and instead patted the space next to her, gesturing Cloud to sit down. He stared, and took a seat; he left one knee up while the other leg crossed under it. He rested his arm on his knee, and extended the other one behind Aerith. Aerith looked at him, sitting in a fetal position with her arms wrapped around her knees. She looked up at the clear, blue sky, a glaze of sadness washed over her eyes.

"Zack sat like that…" Cloud fidgeted, hearing Zack's name and changed his seating position, crossing his legs this time and had one arm still extended behind her back while the other hand was scratching his head, dumbfounded. She shook her head to the side, and shyly smiled, lowering her head into her knees. "You didn't have to change; now you look uncomfortable…" Cloud shook his head in disagreement, extending his other arm to the side, resting the palm of his hands on the grass beneath. "No, it's fine."

She straightened her posture, sighing and rested her head on his shoulder. A faint pink shade formed across his cheeks. Now that they were alone, he could express himself freely. Cloud took the arm that was behind Aerith and wrapped it around her waist. He gently pulled her closer to him as he felt her nuzzle herself closer in his shoulder. There he rested his head on hers, pulling at the grass with his other hand. Aerith closed her eyes, and heaved a sigh.

"Sometimes… I wish we could just tell everyone about us. I don't want to hide our relationship anymore." Cloud just moaned, captivated by the sweet scent that Aerith possessed. He closed his eyes and snuggled closer into her head, breathing in the heavenly smell.

"It feels like they know that we're together…" Cloud shot his eyes open, realizing why they had sent him instead of someone else. _Is that why they sent me? Because they know about us…? Nah…_ He waved off the possibility and lifted his head off Aerith's, looking at her.

"I promise that one day, we'll tell them… It's just that…" He didn't really know why he was so embarrassed at the idea of everyone knowing about them. When Aerith had looked up from his shoulder and he saw those emerald eyes pleading for an explanation, he quickly made one up and blurted out. "I'm afraid that Yuffie will make fun of us…" He mentally slapped himself. _Afraid? What are you, a wuss? _Before he could let Aerith speak, he spoke again. "I mean, not afraid… But you know how Yuffie is; she just never leaves you alone when she finds something out until she bores herself with it…"

Aerith was about to say something, but decided against it and only nodded. She sighed, a little sad that they would hold their secret in a little longer more. Cloud noticed how sad she looked and it tugged at his heart. He felt guilty for making her sad and brought his other arm over, reaching her face and cupping her cheek. Aerith stared at him, captured in his sapphire orbs. He twitched his mouth into a very small smile and moved his hand to grab her chin. Gently, he lifted her face up to his, leaning in towards her, their noses touched and he took a moment to stare in those vivid, emerald eyes which always caught his attention. When her eyes closed, so did his and he finally leaned all the way in, meeting up with her soft lips, planting a small, soft kiss.

When they parted, they took in the oxygen they needed and stared at each other, lovingly. Cloud pressed his forehead against Aerith's and released his grip on her chin and wrapped his arm around her. He held her close and felt her arms slowly wrap around his back, he dug his face in her neck and mumbled something to her.

"I promise we'll tell them soon…" Aerith turned her head, snuggling on his neck and nodded. "I know we will…" For awhile, the two sat there, embracing each other and never wanting to let go. But Cloud just had to check his watch and let Aerith go. She looked up at him, confused at why he let go. Her head titled to the side, giving him a questioning glance.

"We should go soon, the others are probably wondering where we are…" A little sad that they had to leave, Aerith nodded slowly and kept her eyes on Cloud as he stood up. She took his hand when he offered it and pushed herself off the ground, with Cloud's help, and dusted off the dirt on her dress. "We can walk slow…"

She didn't want to smile, but one curved up her lips anyways. Together, the two walked through the forest, and back to Kalm.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes : **Here's the next part to the story :)  
I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter !  
Thank you for the reviews. (_if I get any_.)

Oh, here's a challenge : Guess who's thoughts were who's and you get a cookie:)

Happy reading!

* * *

**Happy Birthday To Me**

_final fantasy vii : cloudxaerith_

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Yuffie had her hands on her hips with a giant smile plastered on her face, while Tifa just looked, with pride in her eyes. They looked at the room, filled with tables and a few chairs to sit on. It was decorated with streamers hanging from the ceiling and balloons tied everywhere. There were several flower pots, containing beautiful different types of flowers and a giant banner was hung on the main wall with the words: _HAPPY BIRTHDAY AERITH!!!, _painted in a humongous font, colored pink and green.

The ninja and martial artist looked at each other, nodding in accomplishment and with synchronization; they both turned on their heels and faced the men, who were toppled over each other on a sofa, looking as tired as ever. Tifa nodded at them and smiled, as Yuffie stepped up and swung a punch in the air, which turned into a thumbs-up.

"Good job guys! I guess you aren't as lazy as you look!" A goofy grin formed on her face and the men glared at her, Tifa rolled her eyes at the young Wutain.

"Aerith is going to be soo surprised! I can't wait 'til she comes!" The ninja began to giggle madly, and Tifa shook her head once again, slightly elbowing the ninja in the ribs. Feeling the jab, Yuffie jumped and let out a small yelp, rubbing her side and glaring at Tifa.

"Cloud should be bringing her back here soon, but while we wait; you guys can relax. Thank you for all the help." She bowed in thanks to the men and they nodded their heads. Still bowing, Tifa elbowed Yuffie again, signaling her to bow down as well. Yuffie scrunched her nose and bowed down slightly, retracting up right away. Tifa sighed, and straightened herself back up. She left the room to get some air, and left the rest doing whatever they wanted.

--

Vincent returned to his wall, and leaned on it crossing his arms over his chest. Nothing came to his mind, so he just waited for the birthday girl to come, losing himself in his own world.

Red laid himself on the rug that was in front of the sofa; he yawned and decided to get some sleep before the party started.

Barret and Cid were standing next to the window. Barret had his back against the wall as he just stared outside, watching the villagers walk around and chat. Cid, on the other had, was helping himself to another smoke. He sighed in content when he breathed out a puff of smoke and took a seat on the floor, leaning his back against the wall.

"That damn girl better be appreciatin' this! I mean, I worked my ass off here…" He took another drag on his smoke, not noticing the glare Barret had shot at him. "Aerith's a nice girl, don't be dissin' her and callin' her something she ain't, you prick." Cid looked at him with his mouth slightly agape; he raised his arms up in defense and cast a smug smile at Barret. "I was just jokin' man… I would never mean to call her something like that, I respect her too much." Barret relaxed, nodding at him and glanced at the table, noticing that Yuffie was coming over. He smiled and looked at the ground, whispering.

"You better hide your cig, ninja girl's comin' "

Before Cid could take hold of his cigarette, Yuffie had already grabbed it and yanked it out of his mouth. "Hey old man! I thought I told you not to smoke!" She threw the cigarette in the garbage can closest to them, and glared at him. "You know those things could kill you!" Cid sneered at her, starting to get pissed off and retorted. "I'd rather die than be in your unholy, good-for-nothin' presence!!" He flailed his arms in the air, cussing under his breath and took out another cigarette.

Yuffie was mad. She rolled her hands up, and tightened them into a hard rock fist; she clenched her teeth while sneering at him. Her right eye was twitching in anger, and when she saw another cigarette being pulled out, she growled and swiftly knocked it out of his hand. Cid stared at his empty hand, feeling a vein pop out and breathed in hard.

"That's it…You damn #$(#)! I'm gonna #)($ kill ya! And feed your disgusting insides to the (#$ dogs!" Yuffie could only laugh, she laughed out loud, making that annoying sound Cid had hated so much. "Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!! You can't kill me! Hell. You can't even catch me! " She suddenly stopped laughing; she rested her hands on her hips and leaned towards Cid, grinning like an idiot to annoy him. "You know why? 'Cause you're an old, ugly man, who's gonna die before you can lay yours hands on me." She burst out laughing in his face, and stood up straight again, looking at Barret before glancing back at the old pilot.

Cid had had it. "I'm gonna.." He stood up and rushed Yuffie, but before he could even touch her, he felt a strong arm gripping his shoulder and stopping him. He grumbled, and cursed and swung his arms all over the place, trying to hit the girl, who was now sticking her tongue at him and taunting him.

"nyah, nyah!" "Come 'ere! I'm gonna gut you alive! I'm gonn-"

"STOP!"

The two stopped what they were doing, and glared at Barret, who had yelled at them.

"Damn! You guys act like a bunch of 5 year olds! Grow up, will ya?" He looked at Cid, than to Yuffie, who had pointed at Cid and retorted. "He started it!" Cid stared in disbelief. "What?! It was you who was –" Barret pulled Cid back, and pushed him against the wall. "Stop fighting! Geez…" Yuffie couldn't do anything but stare at Barret and occasionally send a glare to Cid. The robust man looked at Cid, who was staring right back at him.

"Man Cid… How could you be so mean to the girl… I mean, she's just 16…" Cid sneered at Barret; he couldn't believe that the guy was siding with that ninja. On the other hand, Yuffie was nodding with Barret's statement. She stuck her tongue out at Cid, and was about to say something but was interrupted. "And she cares for you, I mean that's the reason why she wants you to stop smoking.' So, you won't die."

"WHAT?!?" Barret and Cid burst out laughing; their laughter was pissing Yuffie off. She let out a battle cry and charged the two men, who couldn't defend themselves due to the laughter.

Red woke up, mumbling something under his breath. He stood up and stretched, letting a content moan escape through his fangs. He looked up to the door, seeing Tifa and smiled.

"Hey guys! They're coming! I saw them walking towards the Inn! Hurry, and find a hiding spot!" Tifa ran towards the light switch and watched as everyone tumbled over each other, trying to find a good hiding spot.

"OK! We're ready!" Yuffie shouted from behind a giant plant in the corner. Tifa nodded, still standing next to the door. "All right, I'll wait for the Innkeeper to call and than I'll turn off the lights." Everyone spoke at the same time, and than the room grew quite.

----

"Cloud! Why are we rushing?" Aerith almost tripped, trying to keep up with Cloud's speed. "C'mon! We're almost there!" Aerith yelled, almost tripping as Cloud picked up his speed.

Finally, the two reached the front door of the Inn. Aerith was huffing, trying to catch her breath, and glared at Cloud. She fixed her hair, and nodded, following Cloud into the Inn. When they came inside, Cloud instantly nodded at the Innkeeper, signaling him to call Tifa. Aerith hadn't noticed, and turned to face Cloud, smiling at him.

"Well… I guess this is it… I'll see you with the group." As she was about to turn and leave for the stairs, she felt Cloud's hand grab her wrist, causing her turn around, surprised, but hopeful.

"Wait! I want to show you something first…" His eyes were sincere, and she smiled. "Okay, what is it?" Feeling him tug at her wrist, she followed him, wondering where he was bringing her. They went up the stairs, and turned left, walking towards a large door. Her curiosity grew larger with every step they took to make it to the door. When they reached it, she looked up at Cloud, confused. He only nodded and gestured her to open the door. Aerith rested her hand on the cool steel of the doorknob and slowly turned it. She looked at Cloud again before opening the door and going in.

The flower girl walked in, realizing that the room was dark. "Cloud… What is this?" Before she could turn around to look at him, the lights flashed on and a loud noise was heard.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY AERITH!" Everyone had jumped out from the hiding spots, and grinned. The Cetra only stared, wide-eyed with her mouth hanging. She brought her hands up to her mouth, covering them while her eyes were brimmed with tears. _I can't believe they remembered! I mean, even I forgot…_

Yuffie was jumping up and down in spot, as everyone else just looked at the bewildered woman with a huge grin on their faces. Cloud and Vincent were the only ones who just smiled. Aerith wiped her eyes, letting out a shy laugh, and held her cheeks in embarrassment.

"Wow!.. I can't believe you guys! This is great! I LOVE IT!" It was her turn to grin now, and she scanned the room, amazed at how beautifully decorated it was. "Who? …Who planned this?" Everyone looked at a certain, brown-haired martial artist and pointed at her, yelling her name out loud, simultaneously. Aerith looked over to her with a smile so huge, that even the girl couldn't resist, and smiled herself. The flower girl walked up to her and wrapped her arms around the martial artist, squeezing her tightly. "Thank you, Tifa! You don't know how much this means to me..!" She let go, and bowed down to the younger girl.

"I had to do it… You're my best friend, after all!"

Everyone cheered, and yelled 'Happy birthday' again to the birthday girl, and began to eat, party, whatever.

Aerith was enjoying every moment of her party. She talked to everyone there and thanked them. Cloud was watching her from the other side, as she was talking to Yuffie and Cait Sith. Vincent walked up to him and sipped on his drink. Cloud noticed him but didn't say anything.

"So… What'd you get her?" Cloud nearly choked on his cookie when he heard the question, and stared at Vincent. _Shit._ Vincent blinked a couple times, and sighed. "I'm guessing you forgot…?" Cloud slowly nodded with a look of fear and sadness in his expression. They both turned their heads when a small 'tinking' sound was heard in the direction of the flower girl. Cait Sith was holding a glass, and tapping it with a spoon, everyone looked in his direction and he began to speak.

"All right! Time to open presents!" Everyone cheered and hurried to grab their presents. Vincent walked away, looking at Cloud. "Good luck…" Cloud glared at the puppet-thing, and cussed. _I hate you, Cait Sith…_With that, he rushed out the door and into his own room to think of something to give to his flower girl.

--

Aerith took a seat on the only couch in the room. Everyone gathered around her, sitting down on the floor. She gasped at the beautifully wrapped presents they all held, and bit her lip, trying to hide her selfish grin. Cloud had come back, holding an envelope with a pink ribbon wrapped around it. He sighed, and slowly walked towards the group, sitting down farthest away from her. Aerith watched as he took a seat and felt sad that he was sitting so far away from her. Nobody noticed, and instead cheered when the first person went up to her and handed her their present.

Aerith thanked Barret and carefully opened his present. When she tore off the last bit of wrapping, her eyes widened. "Wow…Barret… It's beautiful.." She carefully took the ornament out of its box and watched as it sparkled with beauty. It was shaped like a lily, and was crystal clear, when the light reflected off of it, it sent a spectrum of colour around the group. Everyone gasped at its beauty, and Barret only smiled, sheepishly. She carefully placed the present back in its box and hugged Barret, thanking him once again.

"Oh! Me! Me! Open mine next!" Yuffie had already stood up and walked towards Aerith, giving her the present. Aerith opened it and thanked Yuffie, hugging her. She did the same thing, appreciating their gifts and hugged each and every one of them. _(Cid, Tifa, Vincent, Red) _

Cait Sith stood up, slowly bouncing towards the birthday girl. An envelope was in his giant, stuffed hand and he handed it to her. He stood on the sidelines, watching her open his present. "I'm sorry Aerith…I didn't know what to get you, so I got this… It's not great, but it's all I could think of…" The cat bowed his hand down in shame, but Aerith disagreed with him. "No! It's great Cait Sith, I'm sure I'll love it." She smiled and opened the envelope. In it was a card, Aerith smiled again, pulling it out, causing a slip of paper to fall out. She set the card and envelope down on the sofa and picked up the paper from her lap, reading it.

"What is it? What does it say?!" Everyone looked at Yuffie, who slightly burned with embarrassment and shrank behind Barret. Aerith laughed and read aloud from the paper.

"It's a fortune! …

_Today is your birthday! It's a happy and great day for you!_

_You'll receive something unexpected, and everyone will be shocked.  
_

_Your lucky colour for the day is: Blue_"

Aerith stared at the piece of paper, and set it down. She opened the card, and read it, to herself this time, and smiled when she finished. Closing it, she placed the fortune inside the card and put both papers in the envelope. Standing up she gave Cait Sith a hug and thanked him.

There was only one person who hadn't given her a present yet. The flower girl stared at the young man with spiky, blonde hair and smiled as he approached her. Everyone stared at him when he walked up to her; Yuffie nudged Barret on the arm and grinned, causing Barret to grin too.

Cloud sat down next to her, shamelessly giving her the envelope. She smiled at him and opened the envelope. She pulled out a piece of paper and read what it said, sending a questioning glance at him. Cloud looked at his knees, when he saw her glance causing everyone to wonder what the paper said.

"What does it say, Aerith?" The curious ninja asked, receiving a jab in the ribs from Barret. "Ow…" She rubbed her side but still looked at Aerith, who had set her eyes upon the group that was sitting down on the floor.

"It says……A kiss."

Everyone looked at Aerith, not believing her. She didn't believe herself either, but suddenly Cloud grabbed her on the shoulders and leaned in, placing his lips on hers; in front of everyone. Her eyes were wide-opened, but they slowly began to close, as she was falling for his tender kiss.

'_Holy #$!...'_

'_Oh. My. Gawd.'_

'_What the &#!'_

'_Cloud…'_

'…'

'_Wow…'_

'_I can't believe it… …My fortune came true!!'_

Everyone stared; the room was dead silent except for when a quick gasp was heard from a certain ninja. Their mouths were all agape, except for Cait Sith of course, (_he couldn't open his mouth. Remember?)  
_It seemed like forever before the two pulled away. Cloud was beat red when they parted and the same was for the flower/birthday girl.

The room was silent for awhile, and the two sitting on the sofa didn't know what to do. Cloud's eyes were glued to the ground, as Aerith's were glued to Cloud. Finally, Cloud looked up to his flower girl, and smiled.

Everyone stared at Cloud, more shocked than before.

'_Cloud smiled!'_

'_Cloud is… smiling?'_

'_The bastard can smile, after all!'_

Aerith only stared, still disbelieving that, that had actually happened but finally, a smile graced her lips, one directed to Cloud, and only Cloud. The ex-soldier grabbed her shoulders again, and gently pressed his forehead against his, letting out a shy laugh before it turned into an even brighter smile.

The silence was finally broken when Cid had whooped and cheered. Yuffie joined him, 'All right you two!" She laughed and soon everyone joined in, cheering at the new couple. Everyone cheered everyone except, Tifa.

The cheering had brought a blush to their already flushed faces but it also brought on an even brighter smile to their faces. Both Aerith and Cloud stared into each other's eyes about to lean in for another kiss when Cid teased.

"Aww, why don't you two go and get a room!" He laughed, and so did everyone else, even the two on the sofa but that was soon stopped when a quiet Tifa had spoken.

"NO!" The room grew silent again, and everyone looked at her. Tifa bit her lip, and looked away from their eyes. She than looked up with an unsure smile on her face, "not before we eat the cake!" She laughed, hiding her sadness and nodded. Everyone caught that it was a joke, and got up to get the cake.

The cake was, of course, beautiful and delicious. Once everyone was done, and the party was nearing an end; the members sat down with whoever, relaxed and just talked. Tifa watched as Cloud and Aerith took a seat on the sofa again, watching the fire with their heads leaning on each other. She shook her head in disgust, and left the room, going outside. Red saw her, and followed her out the room.

--

Cloud had his arm wrapped around Aerith's waist. Aerith had her head leaning on Cloud's shoulders, as his was resting on the flower girl's head; both were staring at the fire, mesmerized as the oranges, reds and yellows danced about. The flower girl took her hand and reached for Cloud's hand, resting it on top. She pulled her head off his shoulder, causing him to look up. "Cloud?" "Hmm?" She squeezed his hand, gently and rested her head on his shoulder again.

"Thank you…" A smile tugged on his lips as he looked down to _his_ flower girl. He rested his head on hers again, but pulled off, staring at her pink bow before planting a small kiss on her temple. Again, he rested his head on hers and the two stayed that way for the rest of the night, never letting go of their entwined hands.

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**Author's Notes : **The next chapter's nothing really... Actually, this could be the ending of the story, if you don't want to read the rest. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes :** Last chapter!  
I hope y'all enjoyed my story, because I enjoyed writing it. :)  
I want to thank everyone who read it and left a review. :D

Enjoy, the ending!

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**Happy Birthday To Me**

_final fantasy vii : cloudxaerith_

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Tifa was sitting on the roof of Inn. She felt torn, ripped in half, and backstabbed. All she could think about was Aerith and Cloud, Cloud and Aerith, and it tore her apart. Her hands balled in fists on the rooftop, as she tried to hold in the tears that wanted to flow out of her eyes, travel down her cheeks and die on her chin. _I can't believe it…_ She punched the roof in fury, and muffled her scream.

The brunette turned around, hearing something from behind the chimney. She glanced to where the sound was produced, held her breath and with hopeful eyes waited for Cloud to come out. It was Red, however. She exhaled in disappointment and turned around, looking out to the vast field and forests that surrounded Kalm.

"Tifa…?" She didn't turn around. Red cautiously walked up to her, lying down next to her and looked up to the sky; brilliantly filled with bright, twinkling stars. "I know you're hurt… But you have to let it go… I don't know why, but I feel that Aerith is the right one for Cloud. I think everybody feels that, I think you feel it too…"

Tifa tried to deny the feeling, but he was right; she did feel it. She saw it, she witnessed it, and she felt it; Aerith was meant for Cloud, not her… She heaved a hopeless sigh, and looked down to the red-lion. "You're right, Red… But, I've known Cloud since we were teens! I should be the one that's with him! Not … Her." A hint of disgust was emphasized on the last word; Tifa dipped her head down, letting her bangs fall beneath her eyes, hiding the tears the slid down her cheek. Red kept his eyes on the sky; the stars reminded him of his hometown: Cosmo Canyon.

"I know you want Cloud, Tifa… But, ask yourself this… Could you ever make Cloud smile the way he smiled tonight?" He averted his attention to Tifa, who seemed to be fixed in her own thoughts. "Could you ever change his cold, hard stare into one that was soft and full of love; like how he looked at Aerith, at that moment?"

The brunette's eyes were wide open from the first question he asked. She remembered that Cloud had actually smiled for once; a real, genuine smile that she had never seen before. She let out a defeated sigh, and looked up to Red, wiping away the tears that stained her cheeks.

"You're right… I'm sorry for acting so selfish…" Red passed on a warm smile to the young woman, and caught something in the corner of his eye. He looked up, seeing a bright star rip across the sky, Tifa had seen it too and gasped at how beautiful it was. Red passed on a look and closed his eyes. "Make a wish…"

The martial artist nodded and closed her eyes.

_I wish that… Aerith would -- No, forget that… I just wish that… Cloud and Aerith will be happy together… _

_Always. _

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Tifa and Red XIII entered the Inn again; the red dog looked at Tifa and spoke softly.   
"I'm going back in, are you coming?" Tifa looked at the creature and shook her head, mouthing a 'no.' they both walked up the stairs, and Red nodded her 'goodbye' when they were parting ways. _Maybe I'll just check on them…_ As she saw his tail, disappear through the door, she slowly walked up and took a peek.

It seemed like Cid and Yuffie were arguing again, as Barret had to separate them, looking rather angry himself. Cait Sith and Red were talking to each other, and Vincent was exactly where he was when she left; watching the arguing trio, amused.

Her eyes glanced over to the new couple, sitting with their heads on each others, and she frowned but it soon disappeared when she saw Cloud smile again.

She cringed when she saw him lean in and kiss Aerith, but kept staring; accepting the fact that Cloud loves Aerith. A small smile crept on her face, and she turned around to leave for her room when they had separated.

_You better take care of him for me, Aerith…_

_**Finis.**_

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**Author's Notes : **Like I said before, thank you everyone who read this story! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have. :)  
See you all in another story:)_  
_


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